1. Any motor from about 3/4hp & up works fine. 1700rpm motors work, they just do things a bit slower than 3450rpm motors (including making mistakes!). Either speed motor will do stock removal at full speed just fine; to turn small wheels or sharpen knives the belt speed will have to be slowed down & there are various means available to do this. A VFD is the ultimate to have, it obviously allows the widest range of speeds
2. Alternatively, a pulley system also works to vary the speed
3. See our Belt Speed Calculator (Link opens in a new page)for more information

Here it is very important to be warned about folk selling open VFDs for use on their “knife grinders”. These are VFDs that are not designed to be used as standalone units, they’re designed to be incorporated in electrical enclosures on larger machinery. You can easily spot them by the vents on the sides & they normally have open electrical contact points on the bottom or back. They show up on eBay listings with grinders (especially from places like Poland & China). Folks, these things ingest not only grit from grinding but also water when blades are quenched & they are therefore an extreme hazard in a knife making environment.

Our VFD's are totally enclosed in NEMA rated enclosures.

The short answer is NO.
If you buy a grinder with an electric motor and no VFD we will ship you a single-phase 110-volt motor that can not be upgraded to a VFD later on.
Let Me Explain
#1 - A single-phase 110-volt electric motor can not be connected to a VFD because it has a starting circuit and a running circuit. The starting circuit utilizes a large capacitor and a mechanical centrifugal switch. The starting circuit is used to get the motor started, once it reaches a certain speed the centrifugal switch will open (disconnecting the starting circuit) and the motor will run on the running circuit, the mechanical centrifugal switch does not work well with a VFD which.  
#2 - A single-phase motor is wound differently than a 3 phase motor and in some cases, the motor needs to be rewound to make it work
#3 - It is difficult to control the low-speed on a single motor with a VFD
#4 - We haven't been able to find a reputable VFD supplier for a single-phase motor
Summary
It is not advisable to operate a single-phase motor with a variable frequency drive. While it is technically possible, the disadvantages far outweigh any benefits that you might expect. In a majority of cases, it is less expensive to upgrade to a 3 phase motor for use with a VFD. 

Electric Motor Packages
#1 - Motor 1.5 HP (No VFD)  
#2 - Motor 1.0 HP, With VFD  
#3 - Motor 2.0 HP, With VFD  

Summary: 
All motors that are VFD compatible are 3 phase motors. The VFD is what makes it works with regular household electricity. It can be wired for 110V or 220V

All our motor packaged (with or without a VFD) can be plugged into a regular 15 AMP household 110-volt (Non-GFCI) outlet. The current draw is under 15 amps.

Bigger is Better. With a VFD you can control the speed of the motor because the VFD makes it variable, the range is from zero to the max speed of the motor. To get a higher speed out of your setup it is always better to use the biggest drive wheel you can get as you can control the speed in between.

NOTE: Some motors might require a Motor Spacer Kit if used with larger than 6" Drive Wheel

When you purchase any of our Electric Motor packages you can choose for it to be wired for 110V to 220V. With that being said, 90% of our customers will use a 110V setup as they don't have access to a 220V setup.

#1 - If you choose a 110-volt setup your VFD unit will be wired for 110 volts (which will supply 220 volts to the electric motor). The setup (VFD and Motor) will come prewired with a 110V plug that can be plugged into a regular 15 AMP household 110-volt (Non-GFCI) outlet. 

#2 - If you choose a 220-volt setup your VFD unit will be wired for 220 volts which will supply 220 volts to the electric motor. The setup (VFD and Motor) will come prewired 220 volts but the end will not have a plug, you need to supply fit your own plug as there are too many different 220-volt style connectors currently on the market. 

#3 - The 1.5 motor package without VFD can only be wired for 110 volts, 220 volts is not an option.  

Motor Packages

#1 - Motor 1.5 HP, No VFD (Only 110-Volt)
#2 - Motor 1.0 HP, With VFD  (Choose between 110V or 220V)
#3 - Motor 2.0 HP, With VFD (Choose between 110V or 220V)

Additional Questions

Question Can I change my VFD from a 110-volt setup to a 220-volt setup and vise versa?
Answer Yes, you can but it is something that MUST be done by a licensed electrician because if it is wired incorrectly it will damage the VFD

Question How do I know if my VFD is wired for 110-volts or 220-volts
Answer Look at the plug if it has a plug that plugs into a regular 15 AM household plug it is wired for 110 Volts, if it does not have a plug it is wired for 220 volts and you need to supply your own plug

All our Electric Motor Packages have a 5/8 drive shaft. 

When using our small wheels at full speed the bearing will overheat and fail because they will exceed the maximum allowable rotational speed. Besides speed, the load on the bearing must be factored in as well, as more load on the bearings will generate more heat. The ultimate solution is to use VFD, which will allow you to vary the motor speed between 0 and max RPM. 

As a general rule, you can run the small wheels with no load for a few minutes, if they get too hot to touch they will fail if you don’t lower the belt speed. The ideal belt speed is around 14 MPH (1884 SFM). Keep in mind the smaller the wheel the slower the speed.

Use our Belt Speed Calculator to calculate the belt speed on your setup. 

All our electric motors come with Foot Plate and 56C Face. So it can be mounted either way. Depending on your Belt Grinder here are the best options. 

Diktator - Foot Plate Mount
Mini Diktator - 56C Flange Mount 
Das Toobinator - Foot Plate Mount
Bandit DiY - 56C Flange Mount

We have an optional Base Plate that comes with Pre-drilled holes for perfect alignment of grinder and motor. 

What do I look for in a knife making belt grinder?
A. Versatility, Durability. Reliability. The absolute worst so-called knife grinders on the market are the ones made with pieces of grooved extruded aluminum. Why do folk use that then? Because it’s cheap, in most cases even free because they cut up salvaged server racks. Grinding grit builds up in the grooves & in no time your machine is worn loose. Some of these machines are painted black to hide the extrusions, be careful. Then there’s just a whole bunch of rip off artists selling absolute junk: feel free to contact us & we will point out the absurd flaws in their designs.

Our machines have evolved into highly reliable, highly versatile, dependable workhorses with an unparalleled range of high-quality accessories. Buy with confidence!

A.  Our wide range of manufacturing capabilities allows us complete freedom to select the correct design criteria. So if a part needs to made of steel & welded, we do that. If a part can be formed, making it stronger & cheaper than a milled part, then we form it. If a part needs to be steel instead of aluminum, we use steel & powder coat it to make it corrosion resistant. We laser most sheet metal, but if we can shear it we do that. If a part can be waterjetted instead of routed out, we do that. It is best to illustrate the value of this by analyzing some of our competitors’ products. First of all there are the guys working out of their garages. They can saw, drill & tap… so basically their whole machine is made just with those capabilities & it clearly shows, the machines look as if they were designed with just a ruler. Then there’s the next level, we call them the “mini-mill” guys. They have a little cnc milling machine, so their whole grinder is come hell or high water going to be made on that mill… & they mainly use aluminum because it machines easily. Then there’s the folk who design a rickety bolt together machine just so that it can be broken down into a small box, thereby luring customers with cheap shipping (the local guys selling a pile of plates in a box & just about all of the overseas guys). Now let’s compare this to the automotive industry. Imagine your car or truck was made exclusively on a milling machine, using billet aluminum. Can you imagine the cost! Can you imagine the wear! Think of the gears inside the transmission being made of aluminum instead of steel, just because aluminum machines easily? Or imagine the vehicle being made just so that it can be folded up & put in a USPS large Flat Rate box? Consider this when you shop for a belt grinder or grinder parts. Are you willing to overpay for parts that are badly manufactured in the most expensive way? How soon will aluminum parts wear out in a grit filled knife making environment? Is it worth pinching pennies on shipping costs for a machine that’s going to be bolted to your bench for a long long time?

And then there’s obviously the volume factor. OBM sells more hobby knife making equipment in more countries than our five closest competitors combined! That means we do absolutely everything in bulk & there’s no better way to make parts effectively than churning out huge numbers.

Our machines have evolved into highly reliable, highly versatile, dependable workhorses with an unparalleled range of high-quality accessories. Buy with confidence!

The Toobinator comes almost fully assembled. Depending on what you purchased the grinder might ship in more than one box, check your tracking number, each box will have its own tracking number. We do this to save on shipping costs mainly to stay below the weight and dimension limits that are set by the different carriers. Yes, technically we can ship it all in one box but this will trigger the overweight and over-size limits (set by the shipping carrier) which will double the shipping costs.
Our main focus is you, the customer, we figured that if you are a knifemaker you should be able to bolt a few things together. The main components would be

#1 - The Grinder
#2 - The Motor, with or without VFD (if ordered)
#3 - The Base Plate (if ordered)

Watch the unboxing video below.

A. It’s all about money from advertising. Youtube has recently started allowing channel owners to remove comments as well as replies to comments which they don’t like, believe it or not. Couple that with folk who make “review” videos for a living (yes, these are not just guys in their garage, making unboxing vid’s for fun, they are highly monetized on Youtube & make small fortunes) & you end up with heavily skewed product reviews. Next time you look at a review of a grinder of which you can clearly see the flaws (no paint, flimsy design, high price for what you get etc.) & every single comment is positive, be very weary, you’re being misled.

“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”. Abraham Lincoln

General Tip!

Always adjust tracking by hand (moving the belt by hand) before starting your grinder to avoid injury to yourself or damage to your equipment

Wheel Alignment

Belt Grinders, in general, are very forgiving when it comes to wheel alignment. With belt tension being the most common reason for belt tracking issues the wheel alignment is the second most common reason for tracking issues. 

The diagram below shows that the wheels need in alignment with the Tracking and Idler wheels  

Belt Grinder Motor Alignment Chart

• DiktatorSelf Align with (Optional Base Plate)

• Mini DiktatorSelf Align (56C Flange)

• Das ToobinatorSelf Align with (Optional Base Plate)

• Bandit DiYSelf Align (56C Flange)

General Tip!

Always adjust tracking by hand (moving the belt by hand) before starting your grinder to avoid injury to yourself or damage to your equipment

Toobinator Belt Tension

Belt Tension is the most common reason why users can’t get the belt to track. 

Make sure there is tension on the belt. To do so you need to push the tension arm down and pull the tooling arm out, lock the tooling arm before you let go of the tension arm. The gas strut or spring will put tension on the belt

Keep in mind the belt also plays a huge role in belt tracking because belts will run on different spots on the different wheels depending on what accessories you’re running and also what type of belt you’re using (some belts have a stiffer backing than others). This is no issue whatsoever, the object is to have the belt track correctly over whatever accessory you’re using, nothing else matters.

General Tip!

Always adjust tracking by hand before starting your grinder to avoid injury to yourself or damage to your equipment

Wheel Alignment

Almost 99% of all belt tracking issue is because of two issues, wheel alignment or belt tension, here is what to do: 

#1 – Make sure the wheels are properly aligned as per the image below

Belt Tension

#2 – Make sure there is tension on the belt. To do so you need to push the tension arm down and pull the tooling arm out, lock the tooling arm before you let go of the tension arm. The gas strut or spring will put tension on the belt

Keep in mind the belt also plays a huge role in belt tracking because belts will run on different spots on the different wheels depending on what accessories you’re running and also what type of belt you’re using (some belts have a stiffer backing than others). This is no issue whatsoever, the object is to have the belt track correctly over whatever accessory you’re using, nothing else matters.

Side Play on Wheels with two bearings

#1 – Use Nylon Washers
#2 – Don’t overtighten
#3 – With the belt removed the wheels must spin freely by hand
#4 – If they don’t spin freely by hand you need to adjust the clearance. When all is set and done there should be some side play 

Three Bearing Style Wheels

Depending on how many bearings are in the wheel you will use either the Metal spacer or Nylon Spacer. 
#1 – Use Metal Spacer.
#2 – Tighten as tight as you can with a regular wrench, don’t use a power bar.